THE ALLEY - FOUNTAIN VALLEY — Restaurant in Fountain Valley

Boba is one of those things that everyone has a different preference and opinion about. There simply isn't a shop that exists that caters to -every- single person's taste.

Luckily, I only have to cater to MINE and THE ALLEY is the one for ME!

Disclaimer: I've -only- been searching for a brown sugar boba drink that matches as close as possible to Taiwan's Xing Fu Tang and Taiwan's Jen Ju Dan. I don't care about the other flavors like matcha or fruit teas at the moment. I just wanted to find a place that matches my BROWN SUGAR BOBA palate to boba shops I tried in Taiwan.

In my search, the Alley came the closest out of a lot of places I've tried. I haven't tried the other drinks at the Alley, nor do I care to at this time because as I stated earlier, brown sugar boba is my obsession at the moment. This place for me, gives me that same feeling I had sipping boba drinks and walking in Taiwan, which is nice.

I am happy the boba is so good here! The drink is pretty sweet - similar to how Taiwanese make it (they like their boba drinks SWEET AF). The boba is hot when it comes out and chewy, and when you mix it, it's a delicious blend of milk and sugar. Some people dislike that caramel/cereal taste to their drinks, but I actually like that. I've had the Alley twice in a day before... and I've tried to cut down my obsession but it's SO hard when the Alley isn't too far.

I think some people are balking about the price but they recently have an option for large at around $5. I'll take it, lol. Coming back from Taiwan where the drinks were around $2.50, I will just say I am back in America paying for harder to come by boba cooked how I like it. I think my most expensive drink to date was still at Bopomofo at $8. Eek, hehe.

The best New Year...

TLDR; place doesn’t have wifi. Hopefully before you spend $8 on a drink here you can at least know this and make a decision if you want to stay or not. So if you’re hoping to do some work/study, maybe go up the street a few blocks for more options.

It’s a really cool looking place with a very posh/upscale interior. I feel like the owner of Phin Smith owns this place by the look and vibe. Really nice interior. Sadly however as I mentioned before, there is no wifi here. There’s a wifi network named “The Alley” and I got a silly excuse saying it’s an “old server” (they meant router, but it’s obv working/broadcasting. But whatever.) Just a bit surprised as most cafes nowadays offer this basic amenity. My only guess is they don’t want people taking up tables for hours given the very limited table space. It’s unfortunate because at night in the middle of the week, the place is dead. How many $7-8 drinks does it cost to keep the lights on? I’d attract more people by offering cheap wifi, add much more small tables (take advantage of this huge, empty floor space).

The drink menu is very creative and looks enticing. Prices here are no different than what’s offered in the general area. Pretty standard pricing these days. You place your order on the tablet. No human interaction. And print your receipt. That’s the only way to get your drink. Digital/card payments only. No cash.

Place obviously is doing very well by the reviews. Personally, this is on my avoid list, because of the lack of wifi. I’m not really into the sugar bomb type of drinks. Great place for dates and people who just want to talk and...

THE ALLEY dessert restaurant in Fountain Valley, California was the perfect destination to top off the night after a delicious seafood dinner with the family. The restaurant was spacious, clean and welcoming. The line was not too bad this evening. Note: They only take credit cards here, so no cash.

I treated the family and nieces to an order of large Snow Velvet Peach Oblong Tea with Creme Brulee, a regular Strawberry LuLu with Crystal Boba, a regular Royal Milk Tea with Crystal Boba, a regular Snow Velvet Jasmine Green Tea with Crystal Boba, two (2) large Brown Sugar Deerioca Creme Brulee Milk Tea, along with an order of Five Spice Popcorn Chicken and Skinny Cajun Fries.

I had the Brown Sugar Deerioca Creme Brulee Milk Tea which was sweet, delicious and refreshing. Everyone was standing around smiling, laughing and enjoying their drinks. It was the perfect destination to cap off the night. Check out THE ALLEY in Fountain Valley if you're in the...